10 • THE GRIFFON • Summer 2011
Warriors are We... 95th Division Soldiers vie for Best Warrior titles By Spc. Joshua Flowers 95th Training Division (IET) Public Affairs
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. -— Military competition has been an essential driving force for Soldier readiness since the glory days of Sparta. In the spirit of the fighting men of ages long past, these contests foster an environment of martial excellence and competitive resolve which determines who among the ranks will reserve the right to call themselves “the best of the best.” On March 28th, forty of the 95th
Training Division’s elite Soldiers made their way to the rolling hills of Ft. Hunter Liggett, Calif., to compete in the Division’s Best Warrior Competition (BWC). After a grueling week of competition, three Soldiers emerged from the pack to claim the titles of Drill Sergeant of the Year (DSOY), Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year (NCOY) and Soldier of the Year (SOY). Staff Sgt. Jasper Kohoutek (3/415th 2nd Brigade) earned the Division’s Drill Sergeant of the Year award edging out Sgt 1st Class Colven Gittens (1/398th 3rd Brigade)
and Staff Sgt. Paul Rankin (2/377th 1st Brigade) who both tied for second place. Staff Sgt. Jamel Ellison (2/415th 2nd Brigade) was named NCO of the Year and Spc. Nohel Vizcarra (2/413th 2nd Brigade) Soldier of the Year. Staff Sgt. James Ruth (2/397th 3rd Brigade) and Spc. Joseph Wilson (2/377th 1st Brigade) placed second in the NCOY and SOY respectively. The awards were presented on the final day of competition during the Dining Out at the installation’s historic Hacienda Hotel. The three winners were presented with bronze statues along with Army Commendation Medals (ARCOM) for their accomplishments. Runners-up were awarded with ARCOMs and the remaining competitors with division coins from Command Sgt. Major Don Smith, who currently serves as the 95th Division Command Sergeant Major. Ellison was additionally honored with induction into the division’s prestigious Staff Sgt. Andrew Miller
Club and was presented his club medallion by Col. (Ret.) John Komp who served as Miller’s platoon leader during World War II. The Andrew Miller Club was created in 1995 to honor the legacy of the fallen Soldier whose heroic exploits during World War II earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor (CMH). He was awarded the CMH posthumously after dying during a firefight on the division’s march through Germany. He remains the only 95th Division Soldier to be awarded that honor. Testing for the Andrew Miller Club ran concurrently with the Best Warrior Competition and is open to the ranks of specialist through sergeant first class. Other members have to be approved by the president of the organization. “I couldn’t stop talking about it when I got home,” Ellison said. “It’s such an honor to be selected to wear the medallion of a real Iron Man and to top it all off, it was given to me by a man who actually
Staff Sgt.’s Liem Tran (L) and Hannah Hill (R) plot their points for the day portion of the land navigation course. Photo by Spc. Joshua Flowers, 95th Training Division (IET) Public Affairs.
Staff Sgt. Paul Rankin dresses a head wound during the competition’s situational training exercise. Soldiers had to suppress direct fire from an enemy combatant then immediately evaluate injuries from a captured Soldier. Photo by Spc. Joshua Flowers, 95th Training Division (IET) Public Affairs.